Cryptocurrency giant Binance has made a shocking allegation against top Nigerian government officials, claiming they demanded a whopping $150 million in crypto as a bribe to settle criminal charges against the company.
According to a blog post by Binance CEO Richard Teng, compliance officer Tigran Gambaryan received an unsettling message during a trip to Nigeria in January. Gambaryan, a former US law enforcement agent, understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in President Bola Tinubu’s government. As reported by the New York Times, the message read: “The company had 48 hours to make a payment of roughly $150 million in crypto.”
Gambaryan and a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, had just met with Nigerian legislators, who accused the company of tax violations and threatened to arrest its employees. “Mr. Gambaryan… understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in the Nigerian government,” according to five people familiar with the matter and messages reviewed by The New York Times.
The incident allegedly took place before Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were arrested and detained on the orders of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. Anjarwalla escaped and was later traced to Kenya, while Gambaryan has been transferred from a safe house to the Kuje Correctional Centre Abuja since April 8.
Binance and Gambaryan are being prosecuted by the Federal Government for tax evasion and money laundering, with the government accusing the company of tax violations and threatening to arrest its employees. The government has filed charges against Binance, including tax evasion, currency speculation, and money laundering to the tune of $35,400,000.
In response, the Office of the National Security Adviser spokesman Zakari Mijinyawa assured that the government will follow due process, stating: “We are confident that Nigeria has a good case. Binance equally will have every opportunity under the rule of law to make its case and see justice delivered.” Mijinyawa added: “We will make our case on the strength of the facts and evidence, in accordance with due process.”